A soda a day might just kill your pancrease...

... and the risk goes up with each ounce.  Yikes!

Trending on Bing today was a multinational study done on the association of daily soda indulgences and diabetes. 

The study was done by a large group of researchers led by D. Romaguera of the Imperial College London, and was published April 24, 2013 in the journal Diabetologia.  You can download a .zip file of the abstract and graphics from the Diabetologia site.

An "association" it not as powerful a scientific word as "cause".  So you can't come out and say that soda causes diabetes based on this study alone. 

But you can build a pretty strong case that it's a good bet.  To quote from the study:

Simple lunch for one - EGG AND TOAST

I bought my little non-stick eggpan on a whim.  I use it almost every day!  I use it to cook fast little lunches.  My favorite lunch is variations on the basic classic Egg & Toast.

Here is one version:

On medium heat (5), cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil.  (I know - it's a non-stick pan.  But I love olive oil.)

When it is hot, put in some chopped mushroom and chopped green onions, enough to more than cover the bottom of the pan.  The mushrooms will cook down a little.

Stir occassionally, and while you wait, pop some whole wheat toast into the toaster. 

Are all bodies created equal?

I heard a very interesting interview about a mom's experiences helping her seven-year-old daughter learn how to manage her diet and relationship with food. 

Writer Dara-Lynn Weiss wrote an article for Vogue about how she, her daughter, and a nutrionist reworked her daughter's diet after her daughter was diagnosed with high blood pressure and childhood obesity. 

The backlash from the article was huge, so Ms. Weiss did what most writers would do - wrote even more about it.  She has a new book out, “The Heavy: A Mother, A Daughter, A Diet – A Memoir”. 

EASY MEAT AND RICE ONE-POT

Cooked brown rice keeps in the frig
for about a week, and it's easy make
quick meals with it.

This is an easy dish that's fairly easy to clean up after.  I will make a big batch of brown rice, keep it in my frig, and make variations of this dish with the rice until it's all used up.

The principal behind this is to incorporate a whole grain, two or more veggies, and a protein into one dish, making a complete meal.  The variation comes with what you use for those categories, and how you spice them.

INGREDIENTS

"Is Alzheimers Type 3 Diabetes?" - For real?!

I came across this blog today, and was stunned.  I haven't heard this before, but supposedly research has been out there supporting this since 2005:  Alzheimers might be linked to the same harmful diet and lifestyle factors that cause Type 2 Diabetes.

Here's the New York Time blog article - http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/bittman-is-alzheimers-type-3-diabetes/?smid=tw-bittman&seid=auto

Here's a report on the 2005 study that the blog cites:  http://www.nationalreviewofmedicine.com/issue/2005/12_15/2_advances_medicine01_21.html

Too much choice... and how do you say "no" to happiness?

My father is a pediatrician.  (I know!  House calls for the kids is great!)  He told me once that your body runs three basic systems, but it can only run two at time very well.

• Critical system - heart beating, breathing, brain functionl; aka, the stuff that keeps you alive.
• Digestive system - turning your food into energy
• Physical activity - aka, everything you decide to do.

Considering that the first system HAS to run all the time, the other two compete.  Tired after a big meal?  This is why.  Remember the old adage not to swim right after eating or you'd get a tummy ache?  This is why.

Now I have no proof for this, but I do have personal experience.  When I eat something I like, other things just kind of fade into the background.